Just over two years ago, Pontus Lindberg had an idea for a completely new method of measuring timber. Since then, his innovative idea has resulted in the formation of the company Svepreg, several awards and a great deal of interest from forestry companies, industry media, transport companies and investors.
- "Yes, things are going well now. We still have some issues to resolve, but many people are curious about our method," says Pontus Lindberg.
Svepreg has been part of the Dalarna Science Park incubator since spring 2023. Right from the start, the company's business concept was to develop technology that makes the forest industry smarter, more sustainable and more efficient, both by digitizing and automating timber measurement.
- Today, the timber is measured when the timber truck arrives at sawmills and industries, but with our method, the measurement will already be done during loading in the forest. This avoids the cumbersome measuring step at delivery, while making the drivers' job less stressful, Pontus explains.
- In addition to making measurement more efficient, we are also making it more accurate, something that becomes increasingly important as timber prices rise. With such large volumes handled in the industry, quite small measurement errors can amount to millions of dollars.
Prototype being tested
Timber bought and sold in Sweden must be measured in accordance with the Timber Measurement Act. The purpose of the Act is to create a well-functioning timber market where both sellers and buyers can feel confident that the compensation is assessed correctly. The Swedish Forest Agency is the supervisory authority and must check how well companies comply with the legislation.
Timber measurement in Sweden is largely handled by Biometria, an economic association that acts as an independent third party between seller and buyer. In practice, almost the entire Swedish forest industry is affiliated to Biometria, making the association a central player in the timber market.
- The market is very special, so we are now in discussions with various parties to move forward, says Pontus.
In parallel with the development of partnerships and strategies, the development of the physical measurement equipment together with digital applications is ongoing.
Recently, Svepreg's first prototype was mounted on a new logging truck.
- Our method is based on sensors reading each catch that the logging truck loads. This information then goes to an application that converts all the measurement and quality data into understandable information. A lot of it is coding, so we go step by step, testing and modifying as we go.
Strong team
In addition to Pontus, the Svepreg team consists of Andreas Robinsson and Fredrik Kvillborn. Andreas has a PhD in computer vision and is responsible for the AI and vision part as Lead Computer Vision Engineer, while Fredrik is CTO and focuses on design, logic, security and system integration.
- "A well-prepared team that has clearly done its homework. They also have a strong idea, which rests on a well-thought-out foundation," says Erik Foberg, business coach at Dalarna Science Park.
Erik is focusing on financing and fundraising issues, highly relevant topics at this stage of Svepreg's development. The company has the support of EU funds, Region Dalarna and Vinnova, but also private financiers. In addition, several business angels have shown interest, including in connection with the Dalarna Startup Arena event organized by Dalarna Science Park last autumn.
- I was one of those who had the opportunity to pitch, so it's great that it gave several new contacts, says Pontus.
Forestry expertise in Karlstad
Svepreg will soon join the Sting Bioeconomy Accelerator in Karlstad, while continuing in Dalarna Science Park's incubator - a form of co-incubation where Pontus' team gets access to forestry expertise in Karlstad, along with continued support at home in matters of financing and the like.
Pontus still divides his time between Svepreg and consulting assignments in project management, but expects to focus fully on Svepreg from the end of 2026.
- Right now there's a lot of work to be done, but it's also a lot of fun to create something new, I've always loved that. And with Svepreg, we also have the chance to create something big that affects many people and that can actually make the world a little better, so that's a really good driving force, I think.
